The Identity Tree

Collective art for communal integration

While other countries fight, in Rome a communitarian project led by kids has taken the walls of the Piazza dell’Immacolata, in the San Lorenzo district.

A communitarian project called “L’Albero delle Identità” (The Identity Tree) has appeared in Rome as a fresh way to approach our local challenges and conflicts. The school, NGO’s, parents, teachers, local residents and even tourists can be an active part in improving our local relationships, where decisions are not imposed, but instead are the most inclusive as possible.

The area of San Lorenzo functioned as a living space for trade workers, train workers and artisans near the industrial zone of Rome. With time, the area developed a strong social identity and antifascist culture. The suburb has faced police brutality and was even bombed during the Second World War in 1943. Today San Lorenzo faces social issues that we see in other suburbs like gentrification, bullying, security problems and alcoholism. But today an artistic communitarian project, led by school students, shows us that celebrating differences can be a way to overcome our social challenges.

One of the educators that works with the children in this project, Rosmary Gonzalez has said that the main objective of this project is to create social integration through art. “It is not really the role of one person to decide everything, but rather to be as inclusive as possible, and that is our main objective”.

For Stefano Battiato, President and founder of Happy Coaching and Counselling (the NGO behind this project), “the role of educating people and children comes from the educational community, which is composed of the school, the family, the loved ones, the associations, the territory, the companies, the community. Where all the people that are passing by are part of this community”. Battiato, the creator of the model of education that mixes art with education used in this intervention, agrees this project “helps to educate the people, not only children, to have healthy relations between them and the others”. This is important because “we need an entire village to educate one child”, he added.

This way of facing education shows us a different path, where children can debate different topics and express their emotions and feelings together to define what’s best for the community. Always with community support. The project has the participation of the NGO, the city council of San Lorenzo, the school of Tiburtina Antica, school teachers, parents and even tourists.

The collaborative wall is linked to the values of Agenda 2030, and is divided into 3 different parts: education, gender equality and diversity.

How long does it take?

Each leaf of this tree is made in 3 different sessions, to take the student’s idea to something more concrete.

During the first session they meet, the clay is given to make a draft with an introspective approach, to look for the skill that the student decides to improve.

During the second one, you are called to paint it, and choose what colour to give it.

The final step is to place it on the tree, to choose where you want to add it.

For the material, each leaf is attached to the wall with a very resistant cement, such as the one used for swimming pools, which can resist outdoor temperature changes like water, humidity, heat, cold, and ice.

For the kids this is a great opportunity to express themselves, work in groups and find their own dreams and identity. Maybe they don't want to become artists in the future, but they know this collective approach will help them to find easier solutions for the challenges of tomorrow. Maybe an approach like this can be used in other contexts, like community participation, where inhabitants show us exactly what they want and how they want it, with the active participation of the Municipality, the neighbourhood, different associations and the children. Because most of the time, those are the more honest opinions, yet they’re the ones we listen to the least.

What's next?

From the 16th to the 21st of March a new collective tree will be created between the Aura commercial center and the train station of "Valle Aurelia”. This new participatory creation will be dedicated to youth wellbeing. To find more information about this project or the program you can check the Instagram of @happy.co.co